At
this point in the story the little mice were again getting sort of "wiggly"
and Penny suggested that they take another break. Moose Lee agreed and
dismissed the mice for a ten-minute recess. As Paddy was walking away
he looked at Michayla and said, "Yuk!" That last part was too
mooshy for me!" Michayla said, "Paddy, that was soooo sad. How
can you say that? Poor Mr. Nishioka. I almost cried." Paddy said,
"Yuk!" and ran away shaking his head in disgust.

As all the mice returned to hear more about
the history of Cowrate they saw another man standing with Moose Lee
and Two Eagles. Moose Lee said, "I'd like to introduce a mighty
Apache Warrior to you. His name is Andrew Daly and he has just returned
from a mission helping spread Cowrate to Native American children from
other tribes far away in a place called California. We are honored to
have him back here for awhile." As they all looked At Andrew the
Apache he smiled and nodded a greeting to them all.

Then Moose Lee continued with the history
of Cowrate.

The Return Home

Mooses
had learned a great deal in her nine years away from home. She had all
but forgotten about her friends back in India. Now that her return was
imminent she was really excited about seeing them again. The trip was
long and Mooses didn't arrive near her home village until late at night.
She found a comfortable place to rest so that she would be refreshed
the following morning when she went to find her family and friends.

That first night she had strange dreams. In
her dreams, it was difficult to tell if the dream was real or just a
dream. She saw herself as a cow once again and the image was not attractive.
She had grown very accustomed as to her human image and admired it,
becoming very comfortable in it. Her dreams included being happily married
to Master Nishioka. Her life had become a confusing mixed up blend of
many different thoughts. At one point, she even began to doubt as to
whether or not she even wanted to continue her Spiritual mission.

At first light, she awakened. She was in her
human form. She had to begin a deep meditation in order to refocus her
life. The meditation was very helpful and Mooses felt completely refreshed
afterward. She had regained her appreciation of whom and what she really
was and was once again looking forward to resuming her Spiritual journey.
The next part of the journey would be the long trip to Russia, to part
the sea and cross over into the land called North America to seek the
Native American Indian people and spread the art of cow-rate to the
cows on that part of Mother Earth. This part of the journey was a bit
confusing to Mooses. Jakob and Kali had given her little information
about that portion of her journey, except that she was to spread Spirituality
to the bovines in that area of the great Mother Earth.

Later
that morning, Mooses began walking down the road to her village in her
bovine form. Things appeared very different. There were no cows working
the fields. She noticed a cow standing in the road and asked the bovine
where her friends might be located. The cow slowly looked toward Mooses
and told her that the two friends about which she was inquiring had
died. Mooses felt very surprised and deeply saddened by this news. Then
she asked the cow how things were going for the bovines of India. Again,
the cow moved very slowly, turning her head toward Mooses. The cow said,
"Who are you, anyway?" Mooses replied, "I am Mooses."
The cows face lit up and her eyes drew wide open. She said, "Are
you THE MOOSES? The Mooses who worked with the Holy ones, Kali and Jakob,
to set the bovines of India free from our human overseers?"

Mooses felt a little awkward, but answered
"Yes." The cow shook her head from side to side then up and
down. She said, "I am truly honored." As she spoke, she bowed
respectfully to Mooses. Mooses again felt a little funny but bowed politely
in return. The cow said, "My name is Ryka. The other cows of the
village and I wondered if you really even existed, or if this was all
a Legend of some sort. Were you really off in other countries? Are you
really going to lead a Holy mission of cows to a far away land in order
to set the bovines of that land free?"

Mooses asked the cow, Ryka to slow down with
all of her questions. Mooses told Ryka how tired she was from the long,
long journey back home and that it would be best for her to rest for
the time being. Ryka agreed and walked eagerly towards the village,
obviously quite excited that she would be the one to "spread the
news" that Mooses had returned!

Mooses
went to sit under a shade tree to rest; she hadn't rested for a very
long time. Suddenly she sensed quite a commotion in the direction of
the village. As she moved a little bit to get a better look, she saw
approximately forty cows running in her direction, causing a huge dust
cloud to rise into the air as they approached. Poor Mooses. She could
only guess what the meaning of this was. As the cows approached, Mooses
saw Ryka at the head of the herd leading them in Mooses direction. Ryka
shouted, "There she is now!" The other cows started asking
soooo many questions. Poor Mooses, she tried to listen but heard only
jumbled sounds as all of the cows were talking at once. Mooses smiled
politely and sort of bobbed her head up and down as if to seem agreeable.
What Mooses finally gathered from the excited cows was that they all
thought that she was going to take other cows along with her and each
of these cows wanted to volunteer. Finally Mooses began to speak. As
she began to speak, all of the cows started saying, "Shhhhh! Mooses
is going to speak!" Mooses was amazed and suddenly her voice stopped.
As she looked at the cows their eyes were wide open, they were all listening
so intently. It was as though they thought Mooses was the Great Creator!

Then, Mooses began to speak. She guessed that
she should make her voice sound really Spiritual in order to appease
the seemingly crazed bovines! As she spoke, she said, "I am Mooses.
Twelve years ago, Jakob appeared to me in a vision...", before
she could finish, the other cows were talking wildly amongst themselves,
"Did you hear that? Jakob appeared to her in a vision! Holy cow!".
As the murmuring and talking died back down, Mooses began to speak again
saying, "Jakob then appeared a second night and brought along the
great and mighty Kali...", then the cows erupted in discussion
a second time. "Did you hear that? Then Jakob appeared with Kali!
Holy cow!" After the bovines settled down again, Mooses began to
speak once again, "Jakob and Kali appointed me to go on a most
Holy and Spiritual journey..." The cows interrupted yet a third
time. They said, "Did you hear that? She was to go on a Holy and
Spiritual journey! Holy cow!". Again, once the bovines settled
back down, poor Mooses began to speak once more, "I have been to
China, Korea and Japan, learning about their various forms of cow-rate..."
This time, the bovines interrupted wildly, "DID YOU HEAR THAT???
She was in China, Korea and Japan...learning their style's of COW-RATE!!!
HOLYYYYY COW !!!"

Mooses
was very tired and this was becoming distressing. She quickly turned
herself into an eagle and soared away. As she departed, she heard the
bovines absolutely going wild after seeing her transform herself into
a bird and flying away from them like that. As she looked back, she
saw that they were trying to run after her. She needed rest desperately
so she flew far enough away to find a remote and safe place to rest.
As she rested, she thought about the bovines that she had just encountered
and how complicated her life had suddenly become. Again, she began longing
for the simple life she had enjoyed as a human, learning and practicing
martial arts. Now her life had turned completely upside down. She did
not realize it at the time, but when she turned herself into the eagle
and flew away, she sent the cows scurrying everywhere with wild stories
about what had transpired that afternoon. Then stories grew wilder,
and wilder as if they were playing the game of "gossip".

Mooses rested for several days and then returned
to her village. As she approached the village she turned herself into
her bovine form. The first cow that Mooses saw was Ryka. Ryka at first
was very tentative. The stories had spread far and wide and had become
preposterous. Ryka was obviously nervous. Mooses began to speak to Ryka
and Ryka remained still. Mooses said, "Are you alright Ryka?".
Ryka meekly nodded her head up and down as to affirm that she was okay.
Mooses went on to say, "Ryka, I am prepared to make the next part
of my Spiritual journey, which is to travel to Russia and cross over
to the place called North America. I cannot take a bunch of bovines
with me. The journey is too far and too dangerous.". Ryka nodded
her head up and down as if she agreed with Mooses. If I take any other
bovines I will only take only one.". Ryka nodded her head up and
down as if she understood Mooses. Then Mooses stunned Ryka by saying,
"Ryka, I would like to ask you to accompany me on this Spiritual
mission." Ryka's head tilted sharply to the side in a look of a
confused puppy. Mooses said, "Ryka? Are you okay Ryka?" Ryka
sort of nodded her head up and down as if to say that she was okay.
Mooses went on to say, "Ryka, If you want to go, I need for you
to become a mootial arts expert, as well as a deeply Spiritual serene
being. Ryka, I will teach you many things we both will need for the
journey in order to spread our message to the bovines of the faraway
land called North America."

Ryka
began to emerge from her state of shock. She asked Mooses if she could
go tell her friends. Mooses told her that there was no time and she
did not want other bovines interfering with their departure, so they
left immediately.

The Long, Hard Journey

As Mooses and Ryka left the village one of
the other cows had seen them together, so of course, the village was
alive with wild stories and gossip about the two. It didn't matter as
far as the journey was concerned but throughout India Ryka would now
attain a legendary status among the bovines also.

The trip was going to be very long and extremely
hard. The trip would take at least three months. It would take the two
bovine's across some of the most treacherous landscape in the world.
Additionally, once they left their beloved India, they would no longer
be held as sacred and could easily be killed or forced into hard labor.
Furthermore, there were plenty of predators that would be dangerous
to the two bovines safety along the way.

The trip itself seemed absolutely impossible,
let alone did the ultimate goal of raising the Spiritual level of bovines
on the other side of the world seem to be realistic. Mooses knew that
Ryka wasn't really physically tough enough for such a venture but her
hopes were that Ryka would be tough enough mentally and with Moosess
training along the way, Ryka could become both physically and spiritually
tough enough to make it. The first part of the trip was going to be
across the foreboding Himalayan Mountains. Then on through Tibet, then
China, and as they approached Mongolia they would have to contend with
a portion of the Gobi Desert. Then it would be on into Russia. The trip
through Russia would be very tough also, including briefly crossing
the Arctic Circle as they pressed on toward the Bering Straight, which
separates the Arctic Ocean from the Bering Sea. It was at this point,
that Jakob and Kali had instructed Mooses to part the sea and cross
over into North America. The sea is very deep at this point and the
task appeared to be very difficult if not impossible.

As
Mooses and Ryka began their long journey, Mooses was afraid that Ryka
would drive her crazy with all of her endless chatter and meaningless
questions. Mooses politely responded but never initiated any conversation.
After the two started to ascend the Himalayan Mountains, Ryka's talking
reduced to almost a whisper. Finally, Mooses could begin to train her.
The first thing that Mooses said to Ryka was that she needed to conserve
energy so talking was to be kept at an absolute minimum. Mooses began
regular stops for resting and she began to teach Ryka about meditation.
Meditation would become very important for the bovines in maintaining
self will and a clear mind. It would be easy for Ryka's inexperience
and fears to get the best of her so the meditation lessons were very
important. One of the next things Ryka had to learn was to eat and drink
only enough food and water to be satisfied. She was no longer allowed
to eat or drink so much that she became too stuffed to continue, or
too stuffed to be able to move with as much skill, speed & agility
that she was capable of creating in this early part of her training.

As the two bovine's traveled they began to
encounter serious obstacles. Two unattended bovines were seemingly easy
prey, both for humans who wanted to enslave them and snow leopards who
wanted to eat them! Mooses was able to handle all of these situations
but ultimately elected to assume a human form in order to minimize the
tiring encounters. She elected to take the form of a large rugged looking
female who appeared to be of Mongolian ancestry. She was an intimidating
and formidable looking woman!

As their journey progressed, the two mutually
agreed that Ryka would carry supplies on her back for eating and basic
survival. While the additional weight would be a factor, the value of
having supplies far outweighed the negatives. The two pressed on through
unbearable conditions. The weather in the Himalaya's can be very unpredictable
and deadly. Unfortunately, heavy snow and severe cold beset the two
weary travelers. On the second night in the extremely bitter weather,
Ryka stumbled and fell. She was frightened and rapidly losing her spirit
to live.

Mooses
knelt down by her friend and tried to comfort her. The bitter cold wind
howled and blew snow everywhere. As midnight approached, Ryka began
to convulse and cry out in agony. Mooses couldn't go far from her side
because she would be unable to find her again in these horrendous conditions.
Mooses began to panic. She saw that Ryka was going to die very quickly
if she didn't do something. Mooses cried out in exasperation. Suddenly,
Kali appeared in a blinding light. She said hello to her trusted friend
Mooses. Mooses implored Kali to help poor Ryka. Ryka was aware of what
was going on; even in her state of desperation, she understood that
Kali had appeared. Ryka cried out to Kali, asking her to forgive her
and spare her life.

Kali spoke soothingly to Ryka, saying, "Hush
my dear Ryka. It is not yet your time. There is a warm barn very close
by. I will tell Mooses how to get you there. Once you are safely inside
the barn I will reappear to you upon your awakening. Rest now my brave
Ryka." With that, Kali touched Ryka on the head and the bovine
fell into a deep, deep sleep. Kali turned to Mooses and said, "Mooses,
there is a warm barn about 30 yards in that direction. I will help you
move her into the barn. She will sleep for two days. The storm will
pass and the skies will clear. There is plenty for you and Ryka to eat
and drink in the barn. She will recover within the week, so pack up
your supplies and prepare to move as soon as she is well enough to travel.
Another terrible storm will be here within the next few weeks and you
must move quickly."

Kali
helped Mooses move Ryka. As she had promised, there was a sturdy and
comfortable barn very close by. Once inside Mooses closed the door,
sealing the bitter weather on the outside. It seemed odd to Mooses as
there were no humans or animals nearby. Just this sturdy old barn in
the middle of nowhere! As Mooses looked around she saw that again, as
Kali had promised, there were plenty of supplies including food and
water. Mooses bowed and thanked Kali. With the thank you and the bow,
Kali smiled. She assured Mooses that for now, everything was fine, but
to beware and remain alert for the remainder of the journey. With that,
Kali bowed and disappeared.

Mooses felt happy about Kali's help, but her
final words wore heavy on her mind. Mooses trained hard during Ryka's
deep sleep. She continuously checked on her friend to make sure that
she was alright. On the third day, as predicted, Ryka awakened. Her
eyes burst open wide. Mooses was at her side. Ryka looked up at Mooses
and smiled. Mooses smiled back and greeted her friend. Ryka said, "I
saw Kali!". Mooses told her all that had happened and Ryka was
amazed. She felt better but was very weak. On the fourth day after her
awakening, Ryka began training again. She was feeling very restless
by then.

Suddenly, in a blinding light, Kali appeared
again. Both Mooses and Ryka bowed deeply to her. She bowed in return.
Ryka fell to the ground and cried. She thanked Kali over and over again
for coming to her rescue. Kali touched Ryka lightly on the head and
immediately her crying stopped. Kali told her to arise and Ryka did
so bowing reverently. Kali looked at both Mooses and Ryka for a few
silent moments then began speaking, saying, "You both are very
brave. You have undertaken a mission that holds future of the entire
bovine race squarely within the success or failure of your mission.
You have faced many obstacles thus far and have mastered each one. The
storm was grueling, but fortunately I was able to offer some assistance.
There will be more dire challenges on the rest of your journey. You
must stay alert, maintaining complete awareness and utilize your intelligence
to avert deadly consequences along the way. You must never forget the
vital importance of the successful completion of your journey. Jacob
and I will be praying for you. I must go now. Best wishes for a safe
and successful journey. Farewell.". Then Kali disappeared from
their sight.

Mooses
and Ryka remained silent for a long period of time just staring at the
spot where Kali had stood. Then, slowly, they each tuned their heads
to look at each other. They each smiled and then went about preparing
for their departure. They packed up as many supplies as Ryka would be
able to handle. Then they left the barn and resumed their journey.

They were on a narrow trail that lead through
the Himalaya's. As they approached a sharp bend in the trail Ryka looked
back to where the barn had once been and much to her surprise it had
vanished! She stopped cold in her tracks. Mooses, who was in her Mongolian
human form was leading Ryka with a rope and felt the sudden tug. As
Mooses looked back she saw Ryka's mouth wide open and her eyes fixed
upon the spot where the barn structure had once been. As Mooses looked
back she was also amazed to see nothing there. The two looked at each
other and grinned, shaking their heads in a "yes" manner.
Each seemed to realize what had occurred. Then they continued their
journey.

The weather was clear and cold. The two moved
at a pace that each felt comfortable with. It was rapid but not all
consuming. For the first few days they took regular breaks in order
to help Ryka regain her strength and agility.

Into Tibet

As time passed they began to descend from
the Himalaya's and into Tibet. The air was no longer as thin, although
travel in Tibet maintains various altitudes. Their breathing was becoming
easier. This helped speed up travel significantly. As they made their
way across Tibet human encounters became more frequent. In certain instances,
whereby the two sensed danger, they simply hid or took routes around
potential threats. One encounter was very memorable for the two. As
they made their way along a high narrow trail they came upon two men
who were in clothing that Mooses knew meant that they were probably
monks.

The two Tibetan monks seemed to sense something
unusual about Mooses and Ryka. Mooses bowed politely and the monks bowed
in return. The weather was beginning to look very formidable. Mooses
and Ryka had been worrying about keeping a good pace but the approaching
storm had been overtaking them. The time spent with the two curious
monks seemed important at this point so they waited for the monks to
continue on. The two monks looked hard and long; first at Ryka and then
at Mooses. One of the monks walked slowly toward Ryka. Ryka, with no
experience with monks became extremely nervous. The man seemed peaceful
enough but she was still nervous. As the man approached, he slowly lifted
up his right arm and gently placed his right hand on Ryka's head. An
eerie, tingling sensation began to slowly emanate through Ryka. It began
in her head and then slowly working it's way back through her neck,
shoulders, chest and all the way to the tip of her tail. While this
was happening, Mooses just looked on in silence.

When
the tingling reached the tip of Ryka's tail, the man suddenly withdrew
his hand. Ryka felt a rushing of energy flowing through her body. It
was an unbelievable feeling! Suddenly she felt utterly refreshed. The
man stepped back and was smiling broadly. The four just sort of stood
silently looking at one another. Then, the wind began to pick up and
some snow started to fall. The two monks both looked up at the clouds.
They each stared for several moments. Then they each looked at Ryka
and Mooses. Much to Ryka and Mooses's surprise, without a word being
spoken, they understood the gentle monks to ask them to come with them
and seek shelter from the storm at their monastery. Mooses looked at
Ryka and Ryka looked at Mooses, each smiling. They seemed to know that
the monks understood their sense of relief and gratitude for the offer.
Again, without a word or sound spoken, the two understood the monks
asking for them to follow.

The monks took Mooses and Ryka on a path that
was not obvious from the regular trail. They began to ascend the winding,
narrow path. The path appeared to end at a steep cliff. Ryka and Mooses
both stopped short in their tracks. The monks each smiled gently. Mooses
and Ryka each clearly understood them to say not to worry and the monks
began walking towards the cliff. As they got to the edge they slowly
turned around and motioned for Ryka and Mooses to follow. The monks
now appeared to be walking on air. Ryka was frozen in her spot. Mooses
however, began to follow. Ryka cried out for Mooses to stop. Mooses
turned to Ryka and smiledand then began walking towards the cliff again.
As Mooses got to the edge Ryka's heart felt like it was going to explode.
Much to Ryka's surprise Mooses also seemed to be walking on air! Mooses
turned to Ryka and motioned for her to follow. Ryka slowly and hesitantly
began to walk towards the edge of the cliff. Mooses had waited for her.
Ryka closed her eyes and carefully stepped into what seemed like a cloud.
Instead of falling to her death she was quite surprised to feel her
hooves land on a soft, impossible to describe surface. As she and Mooses
took a few steps forward they saw the monks smiling and waiting for
them. The monks waived their arms in the air. Much to Mooses and Ryka's
amazement an indescribably beautiful monastery appeared right before
their eyes! How could it be that they couldn't see it before, Ryka wondered
to herself. Then one of the monks replied, again without speaking a
word, "There are many things in this world that creatures and man
cannot understand. Just as you could not understand how your companion,
Mooses was able to change her physical form the first time, yet you
and the other cows saw her change into a bird to escape your questions.
There are many, many things that you cannot understand at your current
level of spirituality." Ryka and Mooses were stunned. How could
this monk know anything about them? Even with Mooses's vast knowledge
and high level of spirituality she could not explain this!

The
monks walked toward the great monastery with Ryka and Mooses following.
The double doors to the beautiful building slowly opened, revealing
an incredible sight. The monastery was absolutely stunning. There were
more monks inside. They all bowed with great respect and humility to
the monks that had brought Ryka and Mooses. Once inside, the two monks
turned to look at Ryka and Mooses. Without speaking, they again communicated.
They asked the two to follow them into a great room. The room was perfectly
round with two doors; one directly across from the other. The door opened
as the monks approached, yet there was no one there to open it! As the
four entered the room the door closed slowly behind them, again, with
no one there. The two monks sat on the floor. Mooses instinctively sat
with them. Ryka laid down on the floor, facing them with her legs folded
underneath her body. The monks again looked at Mooses and Ryka and without
speaking indicated to them, "Do not be afraid. We are simple men
of peace and serenity. Our lives have been devoted to spiritual harmony
as have the generations of our descendants before us. What we have learned
is not possible for anyone or any thing to learn in their lifetime.
We were born at a spiritual level that no normal being would ever be
able to attain in their lifespan. Then, by dedicating our lives to the
extension of this level of existence, we have been able to significantly
advance our abilities. When we first met you on the trail, you were
kind enough to be peaceful and still, allowing us to peer deeply inside
of your very existence. We do this in harmony with the Universe. Our
thoughts and actions are pure, therefore what we do is without expectations
or ulterior motives. As we looked into your souls we were able to read,
as though your life were an open book, everything about you and your
experiences, even the way that you perceived those experiences. For
example, we were able to relive Mooses's emotional experience with the
great Master Nishioka." Mooses eyes opened so wide that they nearly
popped out of her head but she remained silent. Then the monks addressed
Ryka without speaking, "Ryka, we were able to experience your dramatic
near death experience recently, when the great Kali appeared to assist
you." Now it was Ryka's turn to be amazed!

"We are aware of your journey and we
would like to make a recommendation about the region called Siberia.
In passing through this area you will enter a desolate section of land
that will carry you to the Bering Strait. We feel that you would be
wise to consider spending some time here training and increasing your
knowledge, both for your journey and for the mission that you are currently
on."

Ryka
and Mooses looked at each other and sort of nodded their heads in an
affirmative manner. The monks were pleased. Ryka and Mooses would spend
six important months at the monastery. The monks took them in as though
they had known them all of their lives. Ryka learned the advanced technique
of transforming her body to that of other creatures. It could be valuable
on the journey. Mooses learned an ancient art called "teleporting"
which is the ability to move one's body instantaneously from one spot
to another in time of extreme danger. It was far too advanced for Ryka
but Mooses was thankful to be able to learn it.

The six months passed quickly. One day, Mooses
instinctively knew that it was time to go. She spoke to Ryka softly,
letting her know that the time had come and that they would need to
let the monks know that they would be leaving. As they emerged from
their room where they had been staying into the grand courtyard their
eyes beheld a strange sight. All of the monks were already assembled
to bid them farewell. It was an emotional time. They had all enjoyed
their time together.

The two monks who had originally met them
six months earlier escorted Mooses and Ryka back to the trail. Ryka
and Mooses thanked them and bowed before them. The monks smiled, bowed
and were suddenly gone from sight. Ryka and Mooses looked at each other,
smiled and then shook their heads back and forth in a slow disbelieving
manner. What a wonderful experience it had been. For Ryka, it was beyond
her previous, wildest imagination. For Mooses, it was a cherished memory
that was a continuation of so many others before.

Geoff Hampton is an internationally known
author, speaker, motivator and business consultant. He is the Marketing
Director for Indian Voices newspaper which serves Southern California
and Nevada. Hampton is also a regular columnist for the wellness business
Website www.fitcommerce.com. He can be reached by E-mail at GEOFFLHAMPTON@aol.com.

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